Meat-tendering appliance



March 15, 1949 W; J. F. BoE'r'rcHER 2,464,634

MEAT-TENDERI-NG APPLIANCE Fileql Jan. 6', 1947 INVENTOR Z WILLIAM J.E BQETTGHER ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 15, i949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEAT-TENDERING APPLIANCE William J. F. Boettcher, Chicago, 111., assignor to Harold C. Boettcher, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 6, 1947, Serial No. 720,334

8 Claims.

My inventionrelates to meat-tendering appliances, and more particularly to the one covered in my Patent No. 2,213,897, issued September 3, 1940.

In the above patent the assembly of the knife carrier and meat-separating grid is rather involved, and it is one object of the present improvement to simplify the structure.

Afurther object is to provide handy means for the removal of the meat-separating grid from the knife carrier.

Another object is to mount the springs for the meat-separating grid in the open and so facilitate the mounting of the same.

An important object is to eliminate grooves or pockets from the under side of the knife carrier and render the same more sanitary.

'In order that a better understanding of the improvements may be had, reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which a perspective view of the assembly is shown.

As is the case in the patent referred to, the headpiece 36 is again employed, the same having the marginal enlargement 36 which receives the securing screws 40 of the knife carrier 38. However, the latter is now a flat plate, with the knives 38 projecting downwardly as before.

The meat-separating grid 42 is now a relatively thin plate and requires no frame. It is cut with long slots 55 to define the bars 56; and these are guided by the knives 39 when the grid rises or falls.

The rise of the grid is resisted by springs 45 similar to those in the patent. However, each set of springs is made in one piece by having the inner ends of the coils 51 joined by a tie section 58, so that each spring assembly can be handled as a unit and requires no abutment for the inner ends of the springs. Furthermore, the pins 46 receiving the spring coils are no longer confined in recesses but project in the open from thickened side portions 59 of the knife carrier.

The outer ends of the springs 45 in the patented structure bear either on the bars of the meat-separating grid or on the frame thereof, where contact of the springs with the meat is made possible. In the improved structure the springs are removed from the meat zone by forming the meatseparating grid with pairs of side posts 60 containing undercut ledges 6| on the outside, such ledges receiving the outer ends of the springs 45. It is apparent that the ledges are at an elevation from the meat-contacting zone of the grid and isolate the springs from such zone.

In the patented structure bolts 43 are employed 2 for securing the meat-separating grid to the: knife carrier, such bolts rising through the latter. to receive nuts 44. Thus, the removal of the grid for cleaning or other attention always requires the use of a wrench to remove the nuts 44 from the bolts 43. In the present embodiment the bolts and nuts are dispensed with. Instead, opposite pairs of the posts are employed for the application of retentive wire rods 62. These lie crosswise on the knife carrier and enter outer notches 63 in the posts 60 to take longitudinal bends 64 along the outer faces of the same. These bends terminate with inward hooks 65, which serve to lock the rods in the post notches. Full lines show the rods -62 normally positioned, these maintaining the meat-separating grid 42 at the maximum distance of separation induced by the springs 45. However, when the grid is to be removed the tie rod bends 64 are simply swung to vertical positions, as indicated by dotted lines, and used as handles to retract the rods 62 from the post notches 63. The springs, plus the weight of the grid, will now cause the latter to drop from the knife carrier.

It is now apparent that the improved structure has several advantageous features. First, the knife carrier being made with a fiat bottom can be cast with less risk of flaws or defects; and the absence of grooves in the bottom surface of the plate eliminates the chances of meat becoming lodged in the grooves and making the cleaning of the plate difficult. Further, the placing of the springs 45 fully in the open makes them easy to mount and remove, while the coils of the springs may be kept clean; and the springs are remote from the meat zone and not apt to touch the meat. Further, the connection between the knife carrier and the meat-separating grid is only in two instead of four places, and does not require any tools to secure or take apart, the simple manipulation of the bends 64 in one or the other direction serving those purposes efficiently. Finally, the construction and appearance of the assembly have been simplified to render the same neat and more sanitary.

While I have described the improvements along specific lines, various minor changes or refinements may be made therein without departing from their principle, and I reserve the right to employ such changes and refinements as may come within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a meat-tendering appliance, a knife carrier comprising a horizontal plate with rows of downwardly projecting knives, a meat-separating grid below said plate and movable from positions between the lower portions of the knives to positions between the upper portions thereof and viceversa, pairs of posts rising from the grid along opposite sides of the plate and formed with external ledges, and springs carried by said sides at medial points and bearing with their outer portions on-said ledges to normally maintain the grid-at the lower end of its movement.

2. The structure of claim 1, said ledges being undercut at the top to retentively seat said outer end portions.

' 3. The structure of claim 1, the springs in each instance including a pair of spaced coils with. inner ends joined as a result of making both springs from a single length of material.

4. In a meat-tendering appliance, a knife carrier comprising a horizontal plate with. rows of- 5. The structure of claim 4, said tie means being wire rods overlying the plate between said sides.

6. The structure of claim 4, said tie means being wire rods overlying the plate between said sides, and the posts having notches seating the outer portions of said rods.

7. The structure of claim 4, said tie means being wirerzrods overlying the plate between said sides; theizposts having notches. seating the outer portions of said rods, and said outer portions being continued with hooked bends wrapped over the-spoststo. retain said outer portions in the notches thereof, such bends being swingable over the posts .onaxesiormed by the rods to facilitate the-= removal of said outer portions from the L notches .i

8. The structure of claim 4, said tie means being=wire rods overlying the plate between said sides, the posts having notches seating the outer PDI'tiOIISLOfEISfiidrods; and (said outer.-.portlons beingcontinued; Withhooked bends vwrapped over. thevposts xto: retain said outer portions ;in the notches thereof, such bends being swingable .oyer thezpostse orr axes rformed, by .the rods to? facilitate the removal oi. said outer portions. ,irom the. notchesythexlatter being made in vthe outer edges of each .pair': of posts.

WILLIAM .J. .F..;BOETTGHER.-.

No references cited. 

